Element Lad

"Trom" redirects here. For the television series, see Trom (TV series).

Element Lad (Jan Arrah) is a superhero appearing in media published by DC Comics, primarily as a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes in the 30th and 31st centuries. A native of the planet Trom, he has the power to transmute chemical elements.^[1]

Element Lad
Element Lad as depicted in Adventure Comics #323 (August 1964). Art by John Forte (penciller) and George Klein (inker).
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Adventure Comics #307 (April 1963)
Created by	Edmond Hamilton John Forte
In-story information
Alter ego	Jan Arrah
Species	Trommite
Place of origin	Trom
Team affiliations	Legion of Super-Heroes
Notable aliases	Mystery Lad, Alchemist, Starfinger, Progenitor
Abilities	Element transmutation Equipment: Legion flight ring

Publication history

Element Lad first appeared in Adventure Comics #307, and was created by Edmond Hamilton and John Forte.^[2]

Fictional character biography

Pre-Zero Hour

Element Lad, whose real name is Jan Arrah, first appears in Adventure Comics (vol. 1) #307 (1963). In this first story, he is briefly known as "Mystery Lad" as the Legionnaires do not initially know his powers.^[3] Jan is the last survivor of Trom, as he was in space while the space pirate Roxxas massacred the Trommites for refusing to transmute valuable elements for him.

With the aid of the Legion, Roxxas is brought to justice and Jan joins the Legion, using the codename Element Lad. He is a member of the Legion for many years, serving terms as leader and deputy leader. He later enters a relationship with Shvaughn Erin, the Science Police's Legion liaison.

"Five Years Later"

During the "Five Year Gap" (1989), Earth falls under the control of the Dominators and leaves the United Planets. It is revealed that Shvaughn was born male and became female using the drug ProFem.^[4] With ProFem no longer available, Shvaughn reverts to her original form. Jan is unfazed, and continues their relationship.^[4]

Additionally, a temporal clone of Element Lad named Alchemist is introduced.^[5]

Post-Zero Hour

In post-Zero Hour continuity, the Trommites were killed by Daxamite terrorists.^[1] After an encounter with Mordru, Jan's powers change so that he can transmute himself into elements.

In Legion Lost, Element Lad is lost in deep space for billions of years, driving him insane and leading him to become the villain Progenitor.^[6] Live Wire sacrifices himself to defeat Progenitor, but Kid Quantum recovers crystals from Progenitor's body which grow into a new body housing Garth's consciousness.^[7]

In Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds, the post-Zero Hour Legion is brought to the pre-Crisis Legion's timeline to help battle Superboy-Prime and the Legion of Super-Villains.^[8]

"Threeboot"

In the Mark Waid/Barry Kitson 'reimagining', Element Lad is the lone survivor of a lost planet.^[9] This version's powers are triggered by touch and only last several minutes.^[1]

This version of Element Lad also appears in Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds, where he is killed by Superboy-Prime.^[10]

Post-Infinite Crisis

The events of the Infinite Crisis miniseries restore a close analogue of the pre-Crisis Legion to continuity.

In Last Stand of New Krypton, Element Lad is part of a secret team sent by R. J. Brande to the 21st century to save the future, posing as a chemistry teacher in Smallville.

In Doomsday Clock, Element Lad is among the Legion of Super-Heroes members who appear in the present after Doctor Manhattan restores the timeline, resurrecting the Legion and the Justice Society of America.^[11]

Powers and abilities

Element Lad is able to transmute objects by touch and change one chemical element into any other, for instance, lead to gold or iron to aluminium. He can transmute an element even if it is part of a compound and can change solid objects into gaseous ones. Like all Trommites, Element Lad could sense the elemental composition of any substance, and could change one element into another by creating or breaking electron bonds. He also possesses extensive knowledge of chemistry and how to use his abilities effectively.

As a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes, Element Lad is provided a Legion Flight Ring, which allows him to fly and protects him from the vacuum of space and other dangerous environments.

In other media

• Element Lad makes non-speaking cameo appearances in Legion of Super Heroes.
• Element Lad appears as a character summon in Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure.^[12]
• Element Lad appears in Adventures in the DC Universe #10.^[13]
• Element Lad appears in the one-shot comic Batman '66 Meets the Legion of Super-Heroes.^[14]